Berkeley Lab Launches The Energy Reliability Occasion Simulator Software

Accompanying technical temporary demonstrates its use for evaluating the backup energy efficiency of distributed photo voltaic+storage methods

Most energy interruptions are comparatively brief, usually lasting minutes to hours, however they’re additionally unpredictable. Assessing the potential of photo voltaic photovoltaic (PV) and vitality storage methods (PVESS) to mitigate these interruptions requires the power to account for each the unpredictability of those occasions in addition to typical patterns in when and for a way lengthy they have an inclination to happen in any given location.

Energy Reliability Occasion Simulation Software (PRESTO)

To handle this problem, Berkeley Lab has developed the Energy Reliability Occasion Simulator TOol (PRESTO) an easy-to-use, publicly accessible mannequin that can be utilized to simulate the prevalence of short-duration energy interruptions in any county within the continental United States. An accompanying case research reveals how PRESTO can be utilized to investigate the efficiency of a PVESS in offering backup energy throughout short-duration interruptions.

Berkeley Lab will host a free webinar presenting the software and case research on November seventh at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Please register for the webinar right here: https://lbnl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xpf40e0uQribiqE3zMp_LQ.

What does PRESTO do? PRESTO simulates the prevalence of interruption occasions over a big quantity (as much as 20,000) of simulation years. In every simulation yr, PRESTO produces a time-series of interruption occasions with stochastic frequency, period, and timing. The mannequin depends on a set of probabilistic features educated on historic hourly energy interruption information on the county stage, obtained from PowerOutage.US for the years 2017-2021. Because of this, the patterns and statistical properties (e.g. imply, normal deviation) of simulated energy interruption occasions match the statistical properties of precise historic energy interruptions for the chosen county.

Easy methods to use it. PRESTO is versatile and simple to make use of. Upon deciding on a county for evaluation, PRESTO hundreds default common interruption period and frequencies based mostly on energy reliability information from the Vitality Info Administration, which the consumer can readily use or override. The consumer can visualize the statistical properties of the produced dataset – together with distributions of period and frequency in addition to seasonal and time-of-day profiles, and obtain the detailed leads to a CSV file. Along with the web-based interface, an Software Programming Interface (API) can be accessible for batch processing of bigger variety of counties.

What are you able to do with it? PRESTO is primarily designed to be used in Monte Carlo or different probabilistic analyses of the impacts of short-duration energy interruptions. One meant utility is to help in evaluating the backup energy capabilities and buyer reliability worth of onsite PVESS or different methods for mitigating short-duration energy interruptions. To exhibit its use on this context, Berkeley Lab developed an accompanying case research evaluation that explores a number of key determinants of PVESS backup energy efficiency, for consultant single-family properties in three distinct areas of the U.S.

Case research highlights. Amongst different components, the case research highlights how PVESS backup efficiency (outlined as the proportion of backup load served), is impacted by how the shopper operates the battery beneath regular day-to-day circumstances, which impacts the battery’s state of cost at any time when the facility interruption happens. Within the instance proven in Determine 2, backup efficiency is particularly low for interruptions occurring throughout night hours. On this case, the shopper is assumed to be taking service beneath the utility’s residential time-of-use charge, which has a peak interval extending from 4-8 pm. This incentivizes the shopper to discharge its battery throughout that timeframe and leaves little cost remaining for any energy interruption that occurs to strike quickly thereafter. The case research additionally illustrates how PVESS backup efficiency is impacted by system sizing, backup load configuration, whether or not or not the shopper is ready to cost from the grid, and regional variations in heating and cooling demand.

Initially revealed by Lawrence Berkeley Nationwide Laboratory

We respect the funding assist of the U.S. Division of Vitality Photo voltaic Vitality Applied sciences Workplace in making this work attainable.